Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) remain a key component of COVID response, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where vaccination is limited (Padma, 2021). Much of what we know about NPI efficacy, however, comes from HIC contexts, and this knowledge is not necessarily transferrable to LMICs (Chowdhury et al., 2020). It is well-established that lockdowns have had detrimental effects in LMICs, including increased food insecurity and diminished healthcare access (Amare et al., 2021; Harling et al., 2021). Targeting NPI packages to regional contexts can potentially maximize efficacy while reducing secondary costs.
Based on empirical data from countries worldwide, Bo et al., 2021 present analyses of NPI impacts on Rt by NPI type (Bo et al., 2021). Examining countries in aggregate, they recommend social distancing as the most effective NPI for the control of COVID-19, consistent with other studies (Mendez-Brito et al., 2021). While they include valuable data on NPI efficacy by region (reproduced in Figure 1), Bo et al. make no comment on differences between or within regions. Herein I present a re-examination of their regionally differentiated data, leading to key insights including NPI recommendations for Africa that differ from their globally aggregated recommendation.
